


Ringmaster

by Melkur_Mistress



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Amnesia, Lighthearted, because hey it's four Master's, but not crack fic, its not AU, its not that straightforward, multi master extravaganza!, putting on a show, unnecessarily complicated plans, which one of them do you trust?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-25 13:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15641787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melkur_Mistress/pseuds/Melkur_Mistress
Summary: The Doctor answers a distress call and ends up in Victorian London at a rather frightening circus, with his oldest friend - four incarnations of the same person that is, putting on quite the show.He stops them and they flee, but they have TARDIS trouble, and have an accident leaving three of them with amnesia.The Doctor catches up with them but finds that they seem to have no memory of him, or who they are. Two of them have married each other and the other is a circus Ringmaster. Missy pleas for his help, saying her house is really a spaceship but it can't fly, her husband says she's quite unwell. They must need his help to sort this mess out. He agrees to help restore their memories but is it all as it seems?Just four Masters doing what they enjoy the most. ;-)Light hearted fic.





	1. This is the Greatest Show

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say about this story. It's just a few chapters long, and it's very..quirky. Think classic Master plan - unnecessarily complicated and involved, and all wrapped up in the Doctor. I basically went to the circus and sat there thinking of how awesome Roger Delgado would look as a Ringmaster. Probably not what most people are preoccupied with at the circus, but hey, that's me!
> 
> I've tried to make it clear, but with a multi Master story, the issue is going to be identifying them in the text, so here's a little handy reference as they each adopt disguises at the start and keep those names. 
> 
> Missy is just Missy, nice and simple.  
> Sax - Simm Master. (Think Saxon)  
> Kos - Ainley Master.  
> Ringmaster/ The Master - Delgado Master. Because I think he would look great in a Ringmaster costume!
> 
> Delgado Master is the only one I actually refer to as the Master.

The Doctor had walked for over half an hour and still could not locate the source of the distress call. Earth, London, 1898. It was loud and clear when it lit up his console, the coordinates even appearing on screen. Someone really needed his help, and had the ability to contact him at a time when technology was in it’s infancy.

He stood and glanced around - the cobbled streets were narrow and winding, with shops and businesses scattered along in various places. It was early afternoon and the streets were busy for the time of day - a buzz of excitement in the air.

Glancing around his attention was drawn to posters which were pinned up in various places - prominently so. Approaching he stopped in front of it, and took it in.

It was a travelling circus - elegantly advertised on what must have been quite an expensive batch of posters to produce at the time. Quite the budget for a circus, the Doctor mused.

He reached up and pulled it down, wondering why he felt so drawn to it - at a closer glance it appeared to be more of a magic show. The tag line seemed an odd combination of words;

Conjuring! Hypnosis! Surprises! Be amazed and terrified!

He frowned, not quite sure why he was so drawn to the poster, but as it appeared to be the main hub of activity around, it made sense to follow it. A small map was printed at the bottom and after a moment he realised that he was not far away at all, but that the afternoon show had already started.

He decided to sneak in regardless.

When he finally approached the large circus tent, he took note of the security guard at the main entrance. Clearly there was no admittance once the production had begun, but a security guard seemed quite a heavy handed approach to deter late comers. Still, it would be far simpler just to slip in through a back exit - certainly the lack of health and safety regulations of the time would mean there would not be multiple exits, but a separate entrance for performers would be a given.

Rounding the tent, his assumption was confirmed as he spotted someone quickly ducking in through the heavy canvas doorway.

He waited a moment and followed.

As soon as he was inside the sounds of the crowd grew louder - and his eyes quickly adjusted to the dimmer lighting of the performers area. He moved fast and side stepped along until he was at the edge of the seating, walking up the steps and squeezing through the seated audience, much to the annoyance of several of the patrons, and finally found an empty seat. This was a packed house, impressive for a travelling circus.

Glancing around at the audience, he could see empty popcorn boxes scattered around, indicating that he had arrived well in to the show - possibly close to the end. It also indicated to him that something was a little odd about this circus - popcorn wasn't quite the norm at the time, especially for a travelling act to have in large quantities. 

A loud drum roll drew his attention back to the ring and within moments it was suddenly filled with pillars of coloured smoke, lights and waves of ethereal looking purple haze, slithering through the air above the ring. He assumed this to be the final act. Impressive.

A little _too_ impressive for the time.

The smoke subsided into small gentle pillars surrounding the perimeter of the ring, and two men walked on stage, both dressed in black, with matching long black robes. They stopped towards the front of the ring and remained still and silent.

The Doctor froze, his silence joining that of the audience who fell quiet immediately upon their entrance. What made the audience so still, he was not sure, but his eyes locked onto the two men on the stage and he had a feeling that he now knew he was in the right place.

Two Master’s, one he had not seen in a very long time - lifetimes ago on a dying planet, affected by a cheetah virus, and the other had died in his arms. The presence of them both together gave him a chill - and his concern began to grow for the people in the audience.

“Sax - seal the doors. It is time.”

The audience stared in a mixture of awe and apprehension as ‘Sax’, the man who would much later become the countries Prime Minister, raised his hand, a long black device pointing up into the air. He paused, then smiled quite joyfully, “that’s right Kos. It’s time….”

Suddenly, the Doctor shook his head in amazement and could not help the smile that crept onto his face as the Ringmaster appeared. Dressed in a very fetching red and black costume, with a tall top hat and a long black cane. He looked every part the leader. He realised that he had actually hoped he would be there - as bad as this was starting to look, that the Master had gathered other incarnations together - it simply wouldn’t be completed without the one who had spent so long on earth with him, during his exile.

The Ringmaster stepped into the centre, and smiled, raising his cane into the air, as a stream of light shot out, “prepare to be afraid, for your very minds may be taken! It's time for the grand finale! 

Music began to play - ominous, melancholy music as the Ringmaster turned around and walked back through the curtain.

In seconds he returned, pushing a large cage, surrounded by a shimmering glow. A person was huddled inside under a dark purple cloak.

The Ringmaster stood back, watching with expectation as Kos and Sax stood either side of the cage and let their cold gazes roam the hushed audience. 

The Ringmaster spoke, his voice grave , “her power is so strong that only the magic force field can contain it. Once free, we cannot be held responsible for what happens. Shall we release her?! 

The audience remained quiet, and the Ringmaster felt a flash of annoyance, there was something to be proud of that his audience were so scared, but he needed a bit of cooperation. 

“I said! Shall we release her - unless you are all cowards!”

“Do it!” shouted a voice in the audience.

A gradual agreement began to build until the audience began to applaud and then eventually cheer. 

The Ringmaster smiled approvingly, “that’s better! Release her please gentlemen! 

The Doctor was worried, and glanced around deciding what the quickest way to sabotage the show would be, at the first sign of risk the audience. 

All three Masters raised their arms into the air and shouted in unison, “sruo eb lliw sdnim rieht!”

The audience barely uttered a word after hearing the strange language, their thoughts moving to stories of voodoo and black arts. They all stared transfixed, a mixture of fear and intrigue compelling them to keep looking.

Sax pointed his cane, and pressed a button, causing the field to shimmer and disappear. Kos then produced an unnecessarily large key, and made a big show of putting it into the lock and opening the door. They both made a slightly exaggerated display of containing their apparent fear as she stepped out of the cage, throwing her arms up so that her cloak fell back onto her shoulders.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, taking in Missy’s appearance. Her hair was loose, and heavily styled to appear wild and out of control, dusted with glitter, the light caught her hair beautifully, and her eyes were wide and cold as she stared at the audience. The heavy black makeup she wore accentuating unnaturally pale skin. 

She stepped forward and walked slowly around the ring, making sudden lunges forward at every person she made eye contact with, quickly looking away again as she located her next victim to torment.

Sax made a show of inching away from her in great fear, while Kos smiled evilly at various audience members who shrunk back in their seats. 

It occurred to the Doctor that they probably could put on quite an entertaining show, if only there was not some sinister motive for the entire thing. There undoubtedly was, he knew that, but he wanted to actually enjoy the performance until he really had to stop it.

Missy suddenly tilted her head backwards and stared up at the ceiling, remaining still for a moment before beginning to chant. The language had again not translated, so he assumed it to be simple reversal of sentences. It was a good technique to strike fear into people’s of this time, given the eerie sound it created.

She suddenly threw her arms out to the side, and Kos and Sax each took hold, lifting her up and turning around slowly before placing her on the wider ledge of the barrier. The Doctor mused that really, the only reason for that move was to show off their outfits. They really always had been quite the showman.

Missy lifted her head and let her eyes roam over the enraptured audience before she finally spoke. 

“Open your minds, let me in,” her voice coloured with a dangerous and slightly deranged edge, until she broke into scream.

“LET, ME IN!” 

The Doctor watched as the the green light from the opening sequence began to snake down toward the crowd, rapidly closer. 

All at once, every member of the audience thrust their heads back, and the Doctor acted. He aimed his screwdriver at the source of the light and it quickly dissipated. 

The Master’s each hesitated, realising something had gone wrong, and quickly moved to what the Doctor assumed was a pre arranged emergency escape routine.

Missy sighed and launched at an audience member, her hands pressing hard against his temples as she stared into his eyes. She did her best to appear absolutely psychotic, and the distraction was enough, as the man closed his eyes and cried out in terror.

The Ringmaster riled the crowd, with warnings that she would steal their very minds, in an attempt to take their sanity.

It worked and the crowd panicked, rising to leave. There was a rush to the doors, and Kos and Sax both grabbed Missy, pulling her away from the man, and shoving her back into the cage, locking it before hastily pushing it off the stage and behind the curtain. 

The Doctor was torn with ensuring the audience did not get injured in their rush to get out, and not letting the Master’s get away without explanation. He quickly made his choice and pushed past the audience, heading backstage.

Pushing through the heavy curtain, he stopped abruptly as he heard the sound of de-materialisation. Of course, one of them had to have a TARDIS positioned inside the circus tent, and behind the curtain was the obvious place - allowing for them to make a swift exit should they need to.

He sighed, with the assumption that they were now long gone, he turned his attention back to the audience, and went to assist them.

* * *

 

The Ringmaster opened the cage door and held out his hand to assist Missy as she stepped out, immediately giving them all an admonishing look.

“This was sabotage, someone was there with the ability and means to stop us, we are not amateurs, how did this happen!” she said.

“The intruder system did not detect anyone, we each would have received an alert - whoever it was walked right in, and caused a sudden feedback,” Kos said, in annoyance. 

“Draw the energy back from the tent - route it through the console. We will have to relocate. A new time, a new place,” the Ringmaster said. 

As the Master’s TARDIS made it’s exit, they each took position around the console, examining the readings to discover what had gone wrong. A device was activated, pulling the remaining energy from the circus tent back into their TARDIS. 

In an instant the room lit up, and the console flashed with light, only the Ringmaster, who stepped back in time was clear when an explosion came from the console, the green, gas like energy swirling up uncontrollably through the console room.

It had very quickly become quite the mess. 

The Master stood, watching his older three incarnations, each of whom wore a look of loss and confusion. They had opened the doors and got outside when a fire broke out in the console room, but once outside, he was at a loss as to how to handle it.

He tried and failed to get through to his other three incarnations - they simply couldn’t understand anything he said. So he kept it basic, aware of their confused states and asked them questions. It didn’t take long to realise that all three of them had no memory retention whatsoever, but after Kos picked up a newspaper from a nearby over spilling rubbish bin, he quickly informed the others of the date and location. 

They readily accepted that they all belonged in Victorian London, and the Master sighed in frustration, they did not accept his words at all now that they were leafing through a newspaper.  It was easy to convince them though, of the need for medical assistance, but he realised quickly that he would have to improvise.

“Listen to me, you were all in a terrible accident, and this is the cause of your memory loss. We are all performers in a travelling circus - the finest and most daring in the land.  Our..travelling vessel, has sustained damage, but if you give me a little time, I will able to stabilise it and find somewhere for you all stay while I repair it,” the Master said.

Kos stood up and stepped toward him, “you know us, you have to tell us who we are - I assume that the lady and gentleman over here are a couple,”  he said, gesturing toward Missy and Sax.

The Master looked at then in surprise, wondering how he had come to that conclusion, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Sax had moved considerably closer to Missy and slipped his hand into hers.

He shook his head in disbelief at his older selves.

“No! You are not a couple! Kindly stop holding hands!” the Master said, irritated.

Missy and Sax glanced at each other in confusion before stepping apart from each other somewhat regretfully.

“I am limited as to what I can do to help you all without a working...well without equipment. Please trust that I know who you all are and will remedy this unfortunate situation. To do that, I may need to travel, but I will return to you, and you will each be restored.”

"What do we do? In the circus?" Missy asked, glancing at her outfit in confusion.

"Perhaps we are a trapeze act?" Sax replied.

"No!" The Master said, exasperated. "Please do not attempt to even try that. That is _not_ the way I want to meet my end!"

Missy and Sax looked at each other, baffled.

“How can you help us, what can you do?” Kos asked.

“I have had an excellent idea which I am sure you will all enjoy. So I am going to fix this, and restore you all" the Master said. "And then... I am going to find a Doctor!"


	2. Where's the on button?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Master said he would cure their amnesia then call for a Doctor - but which order has he done that in? Do any of them they know who they are? The Doctor catches up with them, three months later, and finds the whole situation very confusing.

Three months later.

 

Missy knelt on the ground, paying careful attention to the brightly coloured mix of wildflowers growing along the wooden border of the very exquisite garden. Distracted by the task of weeding and tidying the flower bed, she was not even aware of the figure approaching until suddenly she was struck by a distinctive pull, all her senses coming alive for the briefest of moments, leaving her little choice but to look up and find the reason.

The reason was the man approaching her. Walking purposefully across her garden, his gaze fixed on her accept for brief glances at the meticulously cut hedges

Missy stared at him, the way his gaze seemed to look right inside her, searchingly, struck her. She almost felt exposed in some way with an urge to reach for him, but she shook the feeling off and stood up, glancing over her shoulder to see if she was alone.

“Who are you?” she asked, as he came to a stop in front of her.

He paused, his mind quickly calculating all the possibilities as he took in her appearance. The style of her hair and her makeup suggested that she was at the right point in her timeline (he wondered what she would say if she knew he noticed these things) - he hadn’t been certain at the circus when he had seen her in her costume, but now he was clearer. The last time he had seen her had been on Skaro.

Why then, did she look at him so blankly, and with the slightest tinge of something that made him uncomfortable. Something about the way she stepped back slightly, the glance around the garden, almost hesitantly - it felt wrong. His instinct telling him not to be concerned for her but to figure out what game she was playing. Wasn’t it always par for the course?

He had remained after they had left and soon picked up a residual trace to suggest that they had either moved only a short distance away, or that their TARDIS had run into difficulty and thrown them back.

What he hadn’t expected was to find Missy, three months later, tending to flowers and unaware of his identity.

“I’m the Doctor, i’m...a friend,” he said, his instinct telling him to play this very carefully.

“Whose friend?” she said, her expression curious.

“Would you believe me if I said yours?” he said with what he hoped was a warm smile.

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug.

“Maybe? Why maybe?” he asked.

“My memory is quite skewed i’m afraid.”

“Oh, I see,” he said, with a sudden concern. “As a matter of interest Missy, why is that?”

“An accident. My husband doesn’t like to talk about it, it upsets him. If you know me though, i’m sure he would like to meet you. Would you come inside for tea?”

The Doctor glanced around, “come inside where?”

“Into our home of course,” she said. “He did say he was sending for a Doctor. The last one, wasn’t ideal. That’s why you know my name, is it not?”

“Yes, that’s right. I would very much like to come inside for tea, thank you.”

She smiled and linked her arm in his, walking him forwards, the Doctor only then noticing a door in a nearby wall. She approached it and produced a key using it to open the door.

They entered and much to the Doctor’s surprise, he was not met with the familiar sight of a console room. Behind the door was the appearance of a normal home, and a quick glance around at the decor told him that it was based on a late Victorian or early Edwardian era. It certainly matched Missy’s style of clothing. The home was realistic, with one notable exception, but there was no debate, given that Missy’s front door was nestled into a stone wall. He could tell by the gentle, almost imperceptible hum - that he was inside a TARDIS.

“I’ll see if I can find my husband, this house seems huge sometimes, it’s my memory, I just forget where i’m going and I can get quite confused.”

“Maybe you’re not confused, maybe it is just a...very big house,” he said, finding himself instinctively treading carefully as he tried to get a feel for the situation.

She smiled, “you’re very kind Doctor. I will make some tea and see if I can find my husband.”

He felt a deep sense of unease creeping over him, “wait. Missy, what’s your husbands name?”

“What?” she asked, in obvious confusion.

“His name, what is it?”

“I…” she began, but was interrupted when the door opened. “Oh there he is!”

The Doctor tensed as he made eye contact with Missy’s ‘husband’, noting that his gaze fell on him without any modicum of surprise at his presence.

He smiled cordially and raised his hand, “you must be the Doctor, I see you’ve already met Missy.”

The Doctor stared at him, pausing to take a moment to regard him before finally raising his arm and shaking his hand.

“Yes, i’m the Doctor. And you are?”

“I’m Sax, Missy’s husband. If we go through to the drawing room, we can sit and talk.”

The Doctor nodded as he took time to process what was going on - if he was being subjected to a massive deception, or one or both of them genuinely did not know who they, or he was. He really couldn’t tell, but decided to play along, it would be the only way to tell.

Sax had led them to the drawing room - a finely decorated room, with tall oak panels lining the walls. Everything was highly detailed to the era it was replicating, with one very obvious exception.

“Do you not find it unusual that your home does not have windows?” the Doctor asked.

Missy’s head snapped round immediately to stare intently at the Doctor.

He was taken aback by the sudden and abrupt change in her demeanour as she stood and approached him quickly, her hands grabbing his shoulders as she stared into his eyes intently.

“That’s because this isn’t a house, you know don’t you? You know it too - this is a spaceship - more than a spaceship, this isn’t a house and none of us belong here!”

Her eyes were wide as she spoke very fast, “i’ve travelled to other planets, I can move through time, I don’t belong here and neither do Sax, or Kos, and you don’t either, I can tell, I can feel it. We don’t belong here. This isn’t a house! We just need to figure out how to fly it and leave this place and time!”

Sax stood, grabbing her arm firmly and pulling her away from the Doctor, towards the door.

“You’re tired Missy, lets get you back to your room so I can talk to your Doctor, relax and walk with me.”

“No, no, listen to me. I’m not crazy, help me Doctor!” she said, the panic colouring her voice as Sax practically dragged her from the room while she struggled to break free of his grip.

The Doctor stood and quickly followed them, but as soon as he was outside of the drawing room, the house was silent, with no indication as to which way they had gone. He fought the urge to explore, and returned to the drawing room. It was only moments later when Sax returned.

He entered the room with an apologetic smile and sat opposite the Doctor, “I can only apologise for my wife, she is cursed with delusions, unable to tell fantasy from reality. As you can see she’s very sick, believing that she not only lives on a _spaceship_ but travels through time. Doctor, we are a normal, every day couple, her accident as left us reclusive, isolated from a society we had a high social standing in. It is hard at times. Tell me Doctor, can you help her?”

The Doctor stared at him, unable to read him at all, and not certain if either of them were playing him, or if they  were both affected by some kind of memory wipe.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Simply seeking a cure for my wife’s affliction,” Sax replied.

“Your _wife_?” the Doctor exclaimed. “Please tell me you haven’t actually married each other!”

“Whyever not? My oath to her is in sickness as well as health Doctor, I will not abandon her. I admit I feel I _did_ abandon her when I admitted her to hospital, but it was necessary, and I visited her daily, and brought her home as soon as she was well enough.”

“You put her in a hospital? Here, on earth?” the Doctor said, feeling a flicker of concern.

“Doctor!” Sax said, in amusement. “Is this one of those new psychiatric techniques where you play along in a patient's fantasy? I am certainly sceptical, but I will try anything to help my wife by this point.”

The Doctor sat back in his chair, regarding him with interest, “yes, that is one technique that I use. I do need to examine her however, could I see her now?”

“That won’t be possible, I gave her a sedative. It’s regretfully necessary when she begins to enter a delusional state. She will awake later, which will give us time to acquaint.”

“What kind of sedative?” he asked.

“Just a simple sedative, nothing of any consequence,” Sax replied, dismissively.

“Tell me how she became unwell,” the Doctor said.

“Well, we were travelling, it was winter and our carriage was in an accident. We were all knocked unconscious - my two brothers were travelling with us, and we were trapped in the freezing countryside for some time before we were found. Her mind must have been affected by a blow to the head, she was quite seriously unstable from the moment she woke up.”

“Where you also injured?” the Doctor asked.

“I admit, I have some minor memory loss, but certainly not comparable, and none of the almost psychotic behaviour and delusions that Missy has been stricken with. She sincerely believes that she lives in a spaceship - but look around you Doctor, this home doesn’t fly!”

“No, I don’t think it can - something’s wrong, unless you have purposefully muted the normal functioning noises, then you have quite the power issue, don’t you?”

“Power issue?” Sax asked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

The Doctor sighed and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, performing a quick scan of Sax. Sax looked immediately alarmed as the screwdriver lit up.

“What is that?”

“Oh, an advanced piece of psychiatric equipment, from London. Now, let’s take a look at your readings shall we?”

The Doctor looked at him and shook his head, “well your not some kind of clone, you are the genuine article. Stop playing games and tell me what you’ve done to Missy - did you attempt to perform mind control on yourself and end up damaging her mind in some way? She’s your future, whatever has happened, we need to fix it.”

“ _Mind control_?”

The Doctor looked up to see another Master enter the room, watching them in amusement, this time his attire very close to his usual appearance with a black tailored outfit adorned with a high and elaborate collar.

“This is my brother Kos,” Sax said.

Kos laughed with an obvious mocking tone. “I am not a superstitious man, and I do not believe in magic and fantasy. Our brother, the only one of our family not afflicted with any form of amnesia, is afflicted by such notions I am afraid, I do detest his visits at times. Missy lights up at his tales of fantasy and nonsense. He has a gadget that quickly turns the immaculate hedges out here into these neatly manicured animal shapes. She is quite taken by it. He is quite the showman - by trade I should add, he works in the circus, ringmaster no less, and doubles as a magician. We all worked together in his circus until the accident - heavily disguised of course, it would not do good to advertise such an occupation for fear of losing our social standing.”

“I would very much like to meet your brother, when will he visit next?” the Doctor asked.

“Oh, tonight, if not tomorrow morning. He doesn’t leave us for very long, and by the nature of his profession, he travels and works at the strangest of hours. If you can stay dear Doctor, then you will see him soon.”

The Doctor tensed at the expression he used, looking into his eyes for any hint of familiarity, but Kos simply remained neutral.

“Come Doctor, I will show you to a room,” Kos said.

The Doctor nodded and followed him from the drawing room, casting a cautious glance back at Sax as he did. Kos led him through the authentic looking home, pointing out various paintings adorning the walls and pieces of art as they made their way upstairs. The home was clearly designed to be the very elitist of society for the time, and a high social status was reflected in every expensive piece of art they passed.

“Why would you all become involved in the circus of all things?” the Doctor asked. “Surely not the typical chosen profession of high society.”

“Oh my dear Doctor, but we love disguises.”

The Doctor stopped and stared at him, but Kos simply smiled and continued up the stairs. The Doctor followed, his mind working fast to try to figure out what was going on.

Finally, they reached a door and Kos pushed it open, gesturing for the Doctor to enter, “please, do let me know if you need anything. I am afraid our staff have already retired for the evening, but I am in the room right at the end of the hall. Sleep well, and I look forward to discussing Missy’s treatment in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” the Doctor said, nodding his head politely.

Closing the door behind him, he moved to the large four poster bed and laid down, contemplating what on earth was going on

The house fell silent, and the Doctor laid over the covers of the elegant oak bed, wide awake as he processed the bizarre events of the day. His senses were soon alert when he heard the sound of a door opening somewhere in the house. He sat up immediately at the sound, but had no time to prepare before his door opened and Missy stepped inside, closing it behind her as she leaned against it, regarding him intently.

“Doctor,” she said. “I have reason to believe that we are not of this world.”

“Missy,” he said quietly, “tell me what’s going on here.”

“Aliens,” she said with a whisper, before stepping away from the door and sitting down at the edge of his bed.

The Doctor sat up and watched her with a deep concern, “tell me you’re faking this. Give me something Missy.”

“I just need to find the on button,” she said simply. “Then I can fly my house.”

The Doctor sighed, she really did seem convinced of her own words - but it still left him questioning.

“Missy, the sedative he said gives you, where does he keep it?”

“I don’t know,  he just seems to pull it out of his pocket - he keeps a lot in there - like this house…” She leaned closer and whispered, “sometimes I think it’s bigger on the inside.”

“Why do you think that is?” he asked, eyeing her with suspicion. 

Missy looked at him hesitantly, and whispered with considerable excitement, “because its dimensionally transcendental, but shhhhhh, keep that to yourself.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened as he pulled out his screwdriver and scanned her. She merely stared at it in response.

“Missy, what do you know? Because you are not crazy.”

She edged closer to him, her eyes wide with intrigue, it gave her a look of innocence and vulnerability which he realised was distracting him somewhat and pondered whether that was her intention.

He felt the urge to comfort her, and found it hard to fight it, despite his mind constantly working, trying to figure out if she was playing him. It had always been so hard to tell. The Master had always played a role so well.

“My brother said that he was bringing a Doctor who could heal me with a miraculous machine called a TARDIS. Do you have one? Can you take me to it? I do want to be well Doctor!”

“I’m sure you do, but we surely can’t go right now, it’s very late,” he said warily.

“Oh, of course. I lose track of the time of day quite a lot,” she said.

“Yes, that must be hard - telling the time of day in a house without windows,” the Doctor said.

“I cant speak about that...he gets very upset. Doctor I should go, this is Victorian England and I am a married woman, I should not be in your bedroom - if Sax finds out…”

“He’s not your husband Missy, if you did marry him, then I don’t even think it’s legally possibly anywhere in the universe…wait...you said this is Victorian England...you _know_ you don't belong here, don’t you?”

Missy watched him in apparent confusion.

The Doctor paused, “I may need to run some tests, and yes, going to my TARDIS would be helpful, but I would like to speak to Sax’s brother first- the one I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet.”

“Well I heard him arrive downstairs, he will make his entrance any moment now,” she said, jumping up and spinning around as she gestured to the door, as if she were announcing an act.

The Doctor stared at her in confusion as the sound of footsteps rapidly approached the door. He had no time think as the door flung open.

The Master walked inside, dressed no longer in his ringmaster attire, but instead wearing a tailored black outfit. He closed the door behind him and sat down heavily on the large plush chair adjacent to the bed. His gaze roamed cautiously over Missy before returning to the Doctor.

“I am afraid things have taken quite the wrong turn Doctor. I need your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still with me? great! haha. Next chapter, knife throwing and contemplation of killing each other in the name of art. Missy is the sanest person in the room, and the Doctor realises they are quite an unconventional family.


	3. Renegades in the Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor cannot get to grips with them, but isn't accepting them at face value. Their enthusiasm for their art leads them to risky acts. Kos announces to the Master, that he, Missy and Sax have made a decision to reject their memory restorations and embrace a life in the circus.  
> In other words - this story just gets quirkier!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who have left kudos. I wasn't sure if this would have an audience, so it's amazing that you took that moment to leave a kudos. It is encouraging and and awesome to know it's not just me who likes a fic that's a bit out there!
> 
> I couldn't resist another Greatest Showman chapter title, because I'm listening to the soundtrack on loop while I write this and imagining how amazing they would all be as terrifying illusionists!
> 
> By the way - this year, 2018, is the 250th anniversary of the start of the circus. It started with alternative acts, illusions, amazing and unique people who were shut out from society. Skills and art that had no other home at the time. Animals came later - I don't agree with that, and there's been a huge move away from that back to human only circuses. So - if there's a circus visiting you and it is human based, go check it out. It probably has some amazingly talented people, so give them so love :-)

“What have you done?” the Doctor asked.

“Oh, we were all involved in an experiment of sorts, but half way through a highly detailed plan, we had an accident. The other three were injured - there was an explosion, and I contained it all. Saved my TARDIS, but it needs some repair to leave. These others were left with no idea who they were, Kos and Sax cannot accept a word talk of this, but while Missy has huge gaps in her memory, she’s much better.”

“Only because you left us here for too long and my darling husband hauled me to a hospital,” Missy said.

“Yes, I hadn't meant to leave them here, but I was trying to sort this mess out and made a mistake with the coordinates on my way back. I arrive back to discover that not only has one version married the other, but Sax had inadvertently restored some of her memories by subjecting her to the very height of civilised Victorian Psych treatment.”

“Not an experience I want to repeat. It could have been worse - a decade or more earlier it would have been much more dire, but it was not a fun holiday nonetheless. One day I was taken to a chamber and experimented on - a crude early form of electoconvulsive therapy - perhaps I paved the way for it to develop  once they knew how absolutely  _ not _ to do it that is. They electrocuted me a bit - it was extremely undignified and painful, but suddenly I remembered how to pilot a TARDIS."

“If Missy would return to the hospital, we could then discover exactly what they did. The Victorians are renowned for their excellent record keeping - although the handwriting can sometimes be a challenge, but nonetheless, the detail will be recorded. But if she were to return, we could observe what another experimental treatment would do? Perhaps you could convince her Doctor?”

The Doctor stared at him, “put her at further risk you mean? Psychiatric hospitals were improving by this time in earths history, but it was a far cry from the rights patients had 100 years from now.”

“It’s a temporary hardship that you need to endure Missy, so that we can restore you all, the Doctor and I could go in with you - as your Doctors from a private hospital. We could keep you isolated from the general population, but we must do this. Now the Doctor is here, we can use his TARDIS to experiment with treatments,” the Master said.

"But Doctor," Missy said, "I don't want to go through that again."

“No,” the Doctor said flatly. “We can obtain what we need another way. “Masquerade as Doctors, take the records, but we limit the risk - Time Lord's and human hospitals are woefully incompatible, they could cause more damage than anything else if they use treatments designed for humans. It would be too big a risk for her.”

The Master glanced at Missy with a very slight smile, “he wants to keep you out of harms way...how nice for you.”

Missy simply smiled sweetly at him, "yes my dear brother, he isn't going to do what you want, is he?"

The Doctor did not miss the underlying sarcasm in her smile. Their interaction was odd, and he knew it would be key to their situation.

“We have to be careful who hears our talk of travel in time and space," she continued. "Really don;t want to get put back in the hospital, Kos has no clue that he’s a Time Lord and just finds me an embarrassment to his perceived social status, of which is a fantasy in itself, because the Ringmaster over here, created our cosy little life here. A man can commit his wife to an institution for the most ridiculous reasons in this era, yet alone me having flashes of memories and trying to convince him of the realities of time travel.”

“Missy, you know all this but you don’t know who you are?”

“Yes Doctor, her practical knowledge is mostly there, but everything related to identity is not,” the Master said.

The Doctor sighed, “this is a colossal mess you've all made. I take it your TARDIS isn't operating well enough to fix them?”

“No, I need to scan her, see what changed when the current hit her. I have an idea, but need a TARDIS. The others can’t  remember where theirs are, which is not helping.”

“Ok, we all go to my TARDIS, and we fix this, my thinking is Missy first. Once we restore her memories then the three of us can work on your remaining two selves together."

"What a good idea Doctor," the Master said, looking particularly pleased.

“So, could you just clarify something for me Doctor - are we going to your TARDIS because  _ I  _ asked you, or because _ he _ did?” Missy asked.

The Doctor felt utterly confused as he realised both of them were staring at him expectantly.

“Does it matter?!” he asked. “Why what that be remotely important?!”

“No, of course it’s not important, not at all,” the Master said, casting a glare at Missy. “Sax and Kos have far worse amnesia than Missy - what should we do about them?”

“Tell me honestly,” the Doctor said, his question direction at the Master. “Are they dangerous? Is anyone going to get hurt?"

“Why Doctor, they have no memories at all, they are harmless I assure you," the Master said.

“Missy?” the Doctor asked.

“Well, we have been working on a new act together - we thought it might help trigger memories to perform again. But totally harmless I assure you - no aerial acts at all. That’s the rule,” she said.

“Nothing with heights, I am not having you all plummeting to your deaths, you’re not _actually_ in the circus, please remember that,” the Master said.

Missy looked at him baffled, “but you’re a real Ringmaster - and we are so good at our act! Doctor, we must put on a private show for you tomorrow - you’ll _love_ it. Kos restrains Sax and I, and throws knives at us. It’s exhilarating!”

The Master shook his head in dismay, “you’re not real circus performers Missy! Our entire timeline could fall apart because Kos misses his target and kills Sax. Imagine the mess of him regenerating into you in front of the audience!” He paused, clearly pondering his own words, "still, what a crowd pleaser that would be."

Missy appeared absolutely enthralled, “I have no idea what regenerating is, but it sounds like it would really draw the crowd.” She turned her head toward the Doctor excitedly, “what do you say Doctor, shall we kill my husband in the ring?”

“NO!” the Doctor exclaimed. “That would literally be the worst circus act ever performed - don't kill each other for applause!”

“You just don’t understand performance art Doctor!” Missy said, as she abruptly turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

“Did she just walk out because I told her killing her husband for a show wasn't a good idea? Performance art? Murdering yourself is art?” the Doctor exclaimed.

The Master couldn’t help but chuckle at the concept, “no, no I won’t let them - well, not Kos or Missy...but Sax though. I must admit, if he regenerated into Missy our circus would be famous across the country  why people would travel from far and wide to come and see us!”

“You’re not a real circus act!” the Doctor exclaimed.

“Yes,” the Master said regretfully. “You are right, we couldn’t perform such a show more than once - well we could, but it’s no way to burn through regenerations. That type of performance should be left as a true grand finale. Now Doctor, I must return to my show briefly, I have things to attend to. Kos and Sax will look after you util I return later tomorrow.”

The Master stood and walked toward the door, “good night Doctor.”

 

* * *

 

 

The following morning, the Doctor woke, amazed that he had actually fallen asleep at all. He was so confused by the previous day, that a myriad of thoughts and theories were running through his mind. Still, he felt rested, despite it all. 

He wasted no time and made his way out of his room, intent on exploring the TARDIS before any of them noticed he was awake. If he could locate them undetected then it might shed a lot of light on the reality of the situation. His wish was granted when, after walking down several corridors, he eventually heard voices nearby. It didn’t take long to locate the sound and he inched a door open, seeing Missy, Kos and Sax in a large dimly lit room. He edged inside, closing the silently behind him.

He stood in the shadows of the poorly lit room,watching in absolute amazement at the three Masters, who were obviously enjoying themselves.

Missy stepped back surveying her work eagerly as Sax tugged at the ropes securing him to bolts on the wall.

“I think I might practice today too,” Missy said thoughtfully.

“Missy. Kos is the knife thrower and he’s damn good. You’re the deranged psychic who steals minds, it wouldn’t work with your act,” Sax said.

“But I want to throw a knife at your head - I feel oddly compelled to - i’m sure if i’m armed it would be much scarier for the audience!” Missy said.

“True,” Kos said. “But I did practice on the help before I started throwing knives at Sax.”

“Which is why we are now so understaffed! Honestly this is no way for high society to live!” Missy exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Sax said. “We don’t even have a butler now. It’s not easy getting staff to work here when the previous servants are disappearing so often.”

“Oh just hypnotise them,” Missy said. 

“Well, that’s our dear brothers favourite role, I would hate to deprive him,” Kos said. “But yes, it does make for much more agreeable servants. Stand back Missy.”

Missy stood at his side and watched eagerly as Kos raised his arm, and expertly threw a knife. It landed with a small thud a mere two inches from Sax’s cheek.

“My turn!” Missy said impatiently. 

“No” Sax and Kos said in unison.

“ _Spoilsports_. Hey Doctor? Do you want to see me practice knife throwing?”

The Doctor froze wondering how long she had known he was there. As he stepped from the shadows, all three of them were watching him, their faces neutral and unreadable. 

Kos laughed, “my dear Doctor, you do look surprised. If it’s one thing we know, it is when we have an audience. We are, if I may be so bold to say, the very best in our field.”

“Accurate,” Sax said. “Can you carry on though, this isn’t comfortable.”

“Of course,” Kos said, and hurled another knife which landed even closer to the other side of Sax’s face.

"Take the knife Doctor - give it a try - come on, let's see if you're a natural, or if my brother will become mortally injured!" Kos said, laughing.

The Doctor stared at him in amazement, "what?! Are you actually serious?!"

Missy laughed, “he's not gonna throw a knife at Sax, what a shame, but hey! Want to see us practice our new act Doctor? We fake my death quite cleverly, and wound me just enough that I go all glowy, but then I accelerate my healing before your very eyes! We tell the audience that I am an evil insane immortal! Hurts a bit, but the tension in the ring is so delicious that I won't feel a thing.”

“That glowy thing is alarming - but we just roll with it,” Sax said.

“You shouldn’t take risks like that with regeneration energy,” the Doctor said, alarmed.

They all stared at him confused, until Missy suddenly smiled, quickly releasing Sax from his restraints and returning to the Doctor, stopping so close to him that as she edged toward his ear, he could feel her breath against his skin. He hoped she couldn’t feel the small shiver the intimacy of the position gave him.

“Can we practice on you?” she whispered.

“No! You can not practice on me!” the Doctor said, alarmed, placing his hands on her shoulders and inching her away from him.

Missy pouted and then laughed, “oh, such a shame, that would have been fun. Perhaps you would like to chain me up then.”

The Doctor swallowed, “what? You want me to do what?”

Sax laughed, “it’s part of her act - we were about to practice."

“Ah, but we forget our dear Doctor’s reason for being here. Missy, we must address your sanity problem,” Kos said.

Missy cast him a glare, “my sanity is fine dearest brother, as long as my mind is busy and my creativity not stifled. I want us all to perform again. Are we not happiest when we are putting on a show? Do you not want to get before an audience again?”

“You're quite right my dear,” Kos said. “But we must hear what your Doctor suggests. We must restore our memories.”

“Fine,” Missy said, indignantly, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor was utterly baffled by them, but decided that restoring their memories was crucial before one of them met an end that would likely change their timeline, when they appeared to be pushing the conjuring and illusion boundaries a little too far. 

They all met in the drawing room, the Doctor seated on an undoubtedly expensive arm chair, watched the three Master’s as they casually lounged on the seating. Sax sitting on a love seat, his arms draped across the back as he relaxed and eyed his other two counterparts with a smile. 

Kos sat on a larger settee, one arm draped along the back, and the other tangled in Missy’s hair. She had instantly twirled around and flopped down onto the same settee, laying down and settling her head on his lap. The Doctor looked from Sax to Kos in utter confusion.

“You do seem very comfortable with your wife’s closeness to your brother,” the Doctor said.

“Well Doctor, we are an unconventional family, that much is true,” Sax says.

Missy turned her head to the side on Kos’s lap, and twisted so that she was laying on her side and facing the Doctor. 

“So when are you going to take me to your TARDIS and fix me?” she said, staring intently at the Doctor.

“You  _ all _ have amnesia, these two need fixing too - infact, you do appear to be in a far better mental state than these two,” the Doctor said.

“Yessss!” Missy said, as she rolled onto her back, looking up at Kos from his lap and breaking into laughter. “I'm the sanest person in the whole room! See, the Doctor likes _me_ the best!”

“Sorry Doctor,” Sax said. “Like I said, she does have these fits of insanity...mania even. You obviously don't like her the best - I mean, you wouldn't throw a knife at me, so I think I might be winning here?”

Missy arched her back, looking at Sax upside down, and stuck her tongue out at him, “oh you wish - yeah, Mr Sanity over here knows what he’s talking about. Don't you  _ dearest _ .”

She paused, remaining with her back arched, Kos’s thigh supporting her head, until all three Master’s broke into laughter.

The Doctor stared at them all, bemused. He was somewhat relieved when the Master made his entrance. The Doctor couldn’t help but imagine a drum roll accompanying him. 

The Master stared at his three older incarnations as they all laughed hard. He watched them in distaste, his arms folded as he waited for them all to calm down. Eventually they noticed him and composed themselves.

“Hi!” Missy said, with a smile. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Yeah, we’ve been talking,” Sax said.

“Oh, have you now?” the Master said.

“Yes, we have, and we all wish to return to the circus,” Kos said. “Why our fates should be your decision, we cannot understand! We have made unanimous decision on this. We have several acts rehearsed and it will be like nothing this world has ever seen. This is not negotiable. We don't want our memories back, we just want to follow the call of the circus ring!”

"What do you say Doctor? Would you leave us as we are? Allow us the freedom of living unorthodox lives - I mean where's the harm in that? Or would you return us all to our true selves?" Sax asked.

"Oooh," Missy said. "Good question. What do you say Doctor?"

"You all need to be returned to your proper places in time - being together - can't possibly continue," the Doctor said.

Sax and Kos exchanged  knowing glances which did nothing to help the Doctor's confusion.

The Master crossed the room and held out his hand to Missy, “get up, we need to talk.”

“No thanks dearest, i’m too comfy to move,” she said.

The Master reached down and grasped both of her hands and pulled her up off of Kos’s lap. She got to her feet and glanced over her shoulder at Kos, winking at him, “later my dear,”

The Master took her arm and walked her out of the room, whispering something in her ear as they left the room. The other two Master’s looked on in amusement, enjoying the way the Doctor was completely lost. Every time he thought he had a handle on the situation they confused him yet again.

“More tea Doctor?” Kos said.


	4. The Master Invasion of the TARDIS

Sax smiled with amusement at the Doctor, “she really does want to get back out there.”

“Can you blame her?” Kos asked. “The thrill of the crowd transfixed in fear. They can never understand how we create our illusions - they tremble as they think of the black arts, it’s a powerful feeling to have them all cowering in fear. It’s intoxicating.”

“And let’s admit it,” Sax said. “It’s fun!”

“It most certainly is,” Kos said, smiling.

The door opened and the Master entered the room, Missy following him, and moved to perch on the edge of Sax’s chair, arranging her skirts carefully as she crossed her legs and lounged casually against Sax. He instinctively dropped his arm so his hand rested on her back.

The Doctor felt instantly suspicious about the Master and Missy’s brief exit from the room - whatever they had discussed was clearly not for him - their other two incarnations showed not the slightest shred of interest.

“Doctor,” the Master said. “They need their memories - if they then choose to continue to be circus performers then, well, I accept that, but I sincerely doubt they will. You will need to ask yourself a question.”

“And what question is that?” the Doctor asked.

“Would you help them, or change their timelines and leave three lifetimes unaware of who and what they are. Quite the dilemma - what will you do?” the Master asked.

“The universe safe from three of your lives? I’m tempted to say let them resume their roles in your circus - but they are playing on dangerous ground, regeneration energy should not be used as performance art,” the Doctor said.

"Yes,” the Master said, “but it would be such a crowd pleaser. We would have the reputation for being the most frightening circus in the cosmos - just imagine! And all we have to do is let them kill each other in the ring. Not one of them is uncomfortable with this concept, or coerced. They are each prepared to do anything for their art. It is tempting.”

“No! That’s not tempting!” the Doctor exclaimed, “it’s wrong on so many levels. You can’t toy with your timeline like this! You’re happy to kill one of you for the prestige!”

“I regretfully agree that we should not kill Kos, that would be incredibly risky - but it's a novel idea to kill Sax for a one off grand performance - if the timing were right,” the Master said.

The Doctor glanced at Sax who didn't appeared the slightest bit perturbed by the suggestion that he give his life for a performance.

“Missy though, has great control of her regeneration energy and can use temporal shielding,” he continued. “She will not be unharmed, but she won’t completely die - she can accelerate her healing process and recover live in the ring. It is quite sensational to watch. But, I feel they all do need their memories and identities back. They each love the thrill of performing - what is life, if not a meticulous piece of performance art?”

“And that’s all?” the Doctor asked. “No ulterior motive?”

“Why of course not!” Kos said, laughing.

“I could just leave you all,” the Doctor said. 

“Yes!” Missy said happily. “That’s a great idea! Then we can just focus on becoming the most daring illusionists in the universe!”

Sax smiled coldly at the Doctor, “or you recreate the experimental process that sparked her memories - channel electrical current through her brain. What will your choice be Doctor?”

The Doctor turned to Missy who merely watched him with interest, not at all perturbed by Sax’s suggestion that he basically electrocute her. 

He paused, considering their words. “Let’s go to my TARDIS.”

* * *

 

Now _this_ worried the Doctor. He stood in his console room, four Master's roaming around, touching buttons and levers, opening cupboard doors, and causing the Doctor's stress levels to shoot through the roof.

He watched them warily over the Master’s shoulder as they explored his console room. He wasn't certain whether the Master was deliberately trying to distract him while his older incarnations roamed around the console room, their intentions unclear. He frowned as Kos began opening the many concealed cupboards, and Sax started pressing random buttons on the console.

He glanced around in alarm when he realised he couldn’t see Missy.

“If you boost voltage from here, you could send a power jolt to my TARDIS, all I need you to do is…” the Master began.

“Where’s Missy?” the Doctor said.

Sax shrugged and placed his hand on a lever, the Doctor crossed the room fast and slapped his hand away before tapping in some commands and locking out the console. Turning to Kos, he only just spotted him slip something in his pocket.

“Whatever that is, put it back!” the Doctor exclaimed in frustration. “I am searching all of you before you leave my TARDIS!”

“Oh, that  _ will  _ be fun!” Missy exclaimed as she walked back into the room and winking at him. “You can search me anytime you want Doctor.”

The Master shook his head, “that’s no way for a fine Victorian lady to talk now, is it?”

Missy laughed, “a fine Victorian lady who leads a double life in an unsavoury occupation as a mind stealing psychic.”

“She’s no lady,” Kos said, raising an eyebrow.

Missy feigned shock, “are you going to defend my honour dear husband?” 

“Nah,” Sax said, smirking.

“Find anything interesting Missy?” Kos asked.

“Oh yes! The Doctor’s TARDIS is very disobedient - he must have upset her, she took me straight to his bedroom," Missy said.

“Let's go ,” Sax said. “Lead the way.”

Missy and Sax headed to the door and the Doctor moved fast, blocking them.

“You will all stay together, and you will _not_ touch anything else. Do _not_ move out of my sight again, any of you!” the Doctor said sternly.

“Oh, Doctor are you cross with us?” Missy said, stepping closer to Sax and putting her hand on his shoulder, leaning close to whisper to him. “I like it when he gets all stern.”

Sax turned his head, his lips almost brushing against her cheek, “oh me too darling.”

The Doctor shook his head in exasperation - “we are all going to another room - together. I am going to scan you all and then we can start trying to fix this so I can get you all off my TARDIS.”

“You forgot about the part where you search us,” Missy said, winking at him.

“Yeah, we’re all looking forward to that, don’t disappoint us,” Sax said.

The Doctor pointed to the door, ignoring them, “that way, stay right where I can see you all.”

The Doctor watched his unwelcome guests as they walked ahead of him, Kos and Sax nudging open every door they passed and glimpsing inside. Missy and The Master walked in front of them, arm in arm, the picture of elegance and sophistication. The Master spoke to her in a hushed tone and she smiled in response. The Doctor wanted to inch closer and hear what he was saying but he was too concerned about Sax or Kos slipping off unattended.

“The door at the end,” the Doctor said.

“Not your bedroom then?” Missy asked as she cast him a glance over her shoulder.

The Doctor sighed and gestured to the door, really not in the mood for games.    

The Master let go of her arm and stepped forward to hold open the door, "ladies first."

"To be electrocuted? How gallant of you," she said, as she walked through the door.

The Doctor watched them all enter the room, and then followed them in, his stress levels continuing to rise as the Master took a seat at a console and started accessing a terminal, while the other three instantly moved to different parts if the room, each picking up instruments and devices and examining, activating and pocketing them.

"Put down everything and don't touch ANYTHING ELSE!" the Doctor said, his voice raised in frustration. 

Kos gave Missy a bare perceptible nod, who then spun around in a deliberately clumsy pirouette, knocking over the contents of a steel container, the items inside crashing to the ground. 

"Opps, here let me pick all this up," she said.

The Doctor dashed over, grabbing the items and putting them back in the container, while Kos used the distraction to pocket several items and the Master expertly accessed some of the TARDIS operational systems, exiting the screen before the Doctor turned around and stared at them all in frustration.

"Just stop, _touching_ things!"

"A perfectly reasonable request, of course Doctor, we will all try to be more careful," the Master said.

"Are you gonna electrocute my wife now?" Sax asked.

The Doctor had a headache. He _really_ wanted them all off his TARDIS.


	5. Adding up the Scores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor plays them at their own game and one of them cracks. The Doctor finds out what they've been up to and why, and gets them all off his TARDIS!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter but there is an epilogue which I will put up right after, so it will all be complete tonight. I've really enjoyed writing this and am sad it's over! I have the first chapter of another very light story ready, which will, in response to a prompt, involve them all being shrunk. Enjoy the rest of the story and thank you for reading! I am going back to uni soon, so less time to write, but it's my go to coping mechanism for life, so I will still be here, just less prolific!

Missy sat impatiently as the Master and the Doctor examined her brain scans. Kos sat on a table nearby, looking with interest at the equipment, while Sax paced back and forth becoming bored.

“Do you know what to do yet? Could you hurry up and fix me?”

“I do, but I want to limit the pain it will cause,” the Doctor said.

“What about him?” The Ringmaster said, gesturing to Kos.

“No, we fix Missy first, then we can all work on him. It won’t take long but she may need to sleep for a while after. Once she has her memory back, she can help, so let’s fix Missy first.”

Missy hid the wave of panic she had as the Doctor ushered her onto the table, but she laid down and almost immediately felt the cold metal of electrodes touch her skin. Closing her eyes, she realised she was breathing rapidly - this was not how she wanted this to go at all.

“Of course it's better for you to be unconscious for this, but that is the part this procedure which can cause short term memory loss, so we can't risk complications from that,” the Doctor said. “The process they must have used would have been crude - an early attempt at something not invented properly for another 40 years. So we need to emulate the cruder process, to get the best results.”

He switched on the machine and set the dial to a low setting, and turned to observe her before activating it. He instantly noticed her eyes widening in slight panic. Noting her distress, he instinctively held her hand and squeezed reassuringly.

“Doctor….I,” she began.

“Keep going,” the Master said

She kept a firm grip on the Doctors hand as he turned up the power level on the machine.

Missy flinched, “Doctor, stop.”

The Doctor watched her, deep in thought as he decided to push the situation and see where it went.

“Instead of a gradual build up, we should set this at one of the highest settings straight away, it’ll be over faster that way. Do you think you will be able to stay on the table or should be restrain you?” the Doctor asked. “We will have to hold you down, because you might break something if you're tied down.”

“Stop!” she said, clearly unsettled, sitting up abruptly and pulling the electrodes off.

“Missy, we talked about this, we are close to our goal now - it's pulses of current which will cause no permanent damage, well i'm certain we can repair any damage at any event. We need to go through with this part,” the Master said, pausing to consider his words, “before we can heal you all.”

The Doctor turned to regard him with a thoughtful expression.

“Doctor, perhaps it is best to give her a little time - talk through the procedure,” the Master said. “Ten more minutes or so, then maybe you're right about restraining her.”

Missy glared at the Master and moved to get off of the bed. 

The Doctor paused and everything began to fall into place - he watched them both for the briefest of moments before making his decision.

“No, I insist, lay back down Missy,” the Doctor said, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently pushing her back onto the table.

She laid down and stared at the Master, an alarmed look on her face.

“You’ll be just fine Missy,” the Master said watching the Doctor almost eagerly. "Well, you won't, but we can put you back together again afterwards."

The Doctor placed the electrodes back in place and waited until she turned her head to the screen before turning the dial to a higher setting.

“As you can see this is a very high setting. This won't be pleasant at all, but you want to be cured, don't you? You have to remain conscious to emulate the cruder form of treatment they used, so this is going to hurt - cause a huge convulsion and then you will lose consciousness. Perhaps you could hold her down?” the Doctor said, glancing at the Master. 

He moved his hand to a small lever, and observed both of their reactions. The Master placed his hands on her shoulders and Missy looked beyond worried. The Master, while stoic and calm, had a slight undercurrent of uncertainty, holding her down only lightly. They were both worried, Missy the less able to hide it, but the Master was clearly having doubts too. 

“Wait..you’re actually doing this,” she said, the alarm in her voice unmistakable. “You're actually going to pull that lever?! What will this do to me?”

“You’ll recover my dear, now let the Doctor work,” the Master said, before looking at her inquisitively. “Unless of course you are too scared to go through with it.”

“Not likely,” she spat, before turning her attention to the Doctor and changing the tone of her voice. “You wouldn’t hurt me, would you honey?”

“Ignore her Doctor,” the Master said, as he held her down more firmly.

The Doctor contemplated her for a moment before putting his hand on the lever.

“Doctor...wait…” she began, closing her eyes tightly. 

The Doctor noticed the way that the Master eased the pressure and returned to only lightly holding her down - she could easily push him off if she actually wanted to. He returned his attention to Missy, beginning to expect that her reactions were quite genuine, she had reached a point she hadn't expected to and was actually becoming afraid, yet wasn't getting off the table. As much as he intended to play them at their own game, he wasn't going to truly frighten her. He removed his hand from the lever and noticed her relief.

“Do you know what concerns me more Missy?” he said

“No, do tell Doctor,” she said, her voice shaking, and fully aware that her composure had totally slipped.

“Well, there’s the fact that Kos discreetly left this room just now, that I have no idea where Sax is, or why you seem to be testing how far I will take this, but whichever it is, I really have only one conclusion I can come to,” he said.

“And what is that Doctor,” the Master asked.

He removed the electrodes from Missy’s skin, and stood back, “It’s that you really know how to put on a show.”

The Master raised an eyebrow before chuckling, “well, yes we do, and I appreciate the compliment Doctor.”

The Doctor turned to Missy who broke eye contact with him briefly. 

“It’s not quite that straightforward though is it? Not when it's going further than you wanted it to.”

She met his eyes and smiled slightly, “I thought you were actually going to go through with that, that just isn't nice Doctor. You were supposed to find some gentle, pain free solution, not fry my brain!”

She sat up, slowly, “we did have memory loss, but our younger self here restored us all - we’re stuck here on one damaged TARDIS, so we sent a distress call and waited for you. It’s been quite a pleasant holiday here. We are just a little bit, well…”

“Stranded and and rather restless,” the Master said, “We need some resources from your TARDIS, and then we will be on our way.”

“No, no, that’s not it - all this work just to steal some components. That doesn't take four of you - I can believe you are trapped on earth - you all left the circus in one TARDIS and i’m assuming you were thrown very slightly out of sync - all it would take was a few seconds in the future and none of you would be able to return to your TARDIS’s. So you’re all here, with one broken TARDIS.”

“Yes my dear Doctor, it seems our plan is exposed, come Missy,” he said extending a hand to her as he assisted her to stand up. “We must tell Kos and Sax that our plan to steal these components has failed.”

Missy nodded and linked arms with the Master as they both headed rather quickly to the door.

“To be honest i’m insulted,” the Doctor said.

They both paused and turned around.

“Insulted?” Missy asked.

“Yes, insulated that you would think I would believe such a poorly thought out excuse - I think, you are both biding as much time here as you can - to the point perhaps, of Missy actually going through with that. Kos and Sax, are doing the real work right now aren’t they?”

The Master merely smiled.

Missy smirked, “we promise you won’t be stuck here for long - just need a jump start - _oh_ actually that’s a lie as one of us has misplaced our TARDIS, so we are also taking yours, but we will drop you off somewhere - you do _ like _ earth though.”

They turned and left and the Doctor closed his eyes and shook his head, wondering why it had to always be so convoluted where the Master was concerned. 

He followed them as they ran down the corridor, feeling quite the sense of betrayal toward his TARDIS that she did not at the least misdirect them, but he assumed that whatever the other two had done was probably the overriding factor.

They made their way deeper into the TARDIS until finally reaching a critical area that he felt a instant sense of dismay to find them in.

Sax approached first, regarding Missy with a look of disappointment, “he didn’t pull the lever? I knew he was getting all  _ sympathetic _ for you. I hate to lose a bet.”

“You did that for a  _ bet _ ?” the Doctor asked in shock.

Kos laughed, “oh Doctor, we have so many wagers on this situation with you, that we had to put them all in a device to track our results.”

“All of this, it was what? Some kind of contest between you all?” the Doctor asked, stunned.

“Amnesia was annoying but thankfully short lived - but we all agreed it would be an amusing game to play. We certainly have enjoyed ourselves,” Kos said.

"Would you have gone through with that Missy - for the sake of not losing a bet?" the Doctor asked.

"No, no, I bet the other way," she said. "I was only five points behind. I only had to stay on the table until your morality got the better of you and you decided you couldn't hurt me, but _you_ took it too far!"

He shook his head in amazement, "what if I had done it?!"

"Then i'd be comatose, and in third place," she said.

“And which one of you is currently winning?” the Doctor asked, stunned.

The Master laughed, “I was leading until you didn't go through with electrocuting my future self.”

“Plus I stayed on the table so I do get bonus points which puts me in the lead,” Missy said. 

"By two points Missy," Kos said. "Hardly a landslide win."

"A win is a win!" she said indignantly.

“I may have actually gone through with that!” the Doctor said, appalled.

“Well, then our dear sister would be sleeping for a good long while, and I would be leading,” the Master said. 

The Doctor shook his head and stared at them all in disbelief, “did you have nothing better to do with your time than torment me?” 

Sax shrugged, “no.”

“If we're going to be stuck on earth my dear Doctor, then how better to pass the days than with amusing ourselves by toying with you,” Kos said.

“You've not taken over the planet out of boredom?” the Doctor asked.

“We've been busy with the show, truth be told,” the Master said. 

“When I saw you in the ring you were doing something to the audience  - what were you doing?” the Doctor asked. 

“Oh that was not a successful experiment, but we had been too preoccupied to revisit it. Performance art takes time, planning, practice,” the Master said. 

“So you've been too busy working on circus acts to take over the world? And the worst you've done is toy with me?”

“Well,” Missy said. “We went through a few servants, but that couldn't be helped. Kos is an expert knife thrower now.”

“Moving targets took three or four attempts to really crack,” Sax said.

The Doctor shook his head at the thought of them murdering innocent servants for target practice. 

He looked around at what they were doing - pacing the room as they all observed him silently. 

“This...is not difficult, What you're doing is a simple process.  Ok, look, none of you are going to steal my TARDIS, but this process - it will drain my power for 3 days at most and get your TARDIS restored. I could even give you a lift to the other two TARDIS’s - all you had to do was just ask me!” the Doctor said in astonishment.

The Master’s all exchanged looks of utter confusion.

“Just _ask you_ ,” the Master asked. “But where would be the enjoyment in simply just asking you?”

“And, being circus performers...well..” Kos began.

“It’s fun!” Missy said brightly.

“My wife is not wrong,” said Sax.

“That,” the Doctor said. “Is beyond wrong...i’m not telling you how to….spend time with yourselves, but...no. I hope you’re joking.”

Kos laughed and shook his head.

He regarded them in amazement, before gesturing to the door, “this process can be completed remotely, you are all going to the console room, we can complete the process, then you can leave - of course two of you are leaving together, so toss a coin and decide who that will be.”

“Oh no need,” Sax said, “I’m the only one without a TARDIS at the moment, but not too concerned, because Missy has one. I’ll leave with her - we are married after all. Makes sense to stay together don't you think dearest?”

Missy smiled flirtatiously at him, “makes perfect sense my dear.”

The Doctor stared at them in disbelief, “please don't tell me you were serious? You  _ actually _ married each other??”

“As you said Doctor, we do put on an excellent performance - method acting is they key,” Kos said.

“You’re joking about that part though?” the Doctor asked. “Aren’t you?!”

The Master’s each exchanged confused glances and his eyes widened at the concept of the Master marrying themself.

The Doctor opened the doors, gesturing in the direction of the TARDIS ahead of him, the door situated snugly in the wall.

“Let’s get this TARDIS functional. All of you - OUT!”

The Master’s began to file out of the door, before the Doctor put his arm across, blocking Kos.

“Hand over any components you’ve taken.”

“Fine Doctor, “sighed Kos as he reluctantly pulled out a circuit board and handed it back to the Doctor.

The Doctor remained where he was, and Kos sighed in annoyance, pulling out two more components and a device and piling them into the Doctor’s arms.

He let him walk away, followed by Sax, who laughed as he passed him, then blocked the door again.

Missy placed her arm on the door frame close to him and lounged casually as she turned to rest her back against the wall. 

“It’s a shame this had to end, I really did enjoy the performance art and so did Kos - we actually handcrafted our costumes. I could have done this for a while, gained a reputation and have people cross the cosmos to see me perform!” she said.

“Perform to the crowd? No world domination? No evil schemes?” he asked.

“Perhaps,” she said with a smile. “I liked it, most fun i’ve had in ages. I don’t think the others would last very long though.”

“You would though?” the Doctor asked. “Just performing, you genuinely preferred that to the million other evil schemes you could have been coming up with?”

“Don't get ahead of yourself there Doctor, but I could be done this for a while, yes.”

“Missy, I don’t know if you’re joking about you and...him, but….you should find your own path because maybe...maybe..you might choose a different one.”

“Philosophical now are we?” she asked.

“Hopeful,” he replied.

She shook her head, “in me? You’re foolish.”

“You’re brilliant you know,” he said.

“Well yes,” she smiled.

“That does not equate to evil - if sometime...somehow...you want to explore that - not being evil that is... i’m here.”

Missy smiled awkwardly and broke eye contact, “I need to go now.”

“Think about it...i’ll be here. Always here - you know how to find me,” the Doctor said.

“I do...now I shall leave with my husband!” she said, turning around and pushing the door open. 

The Doctor dropped his arm and watched her leave, wondering if she might be the version of herself who could one day look at things differently. 

He walked through the doors, closing them behind him with a sigh. 

Maybe he was foolish to hold such hope for the Master. 

But maybe, this time, the glimmer of hope he held might grow into something more. 

He really did want his friend back. 

 


	6. Suddenly You're Free to Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor gets an invitation. :-)

Moments after the doors closed he heard a rapid knocking, and instinctively opened the door. He was met with Missy, her hair styled in a different, equally as elaborate updo, her arm extended, a brightly coloured card in her hand thrust toward him.

”An invitation, front row, ringside, best seat in the house, complimentary snacks. We made a decision - to meet on occasion, wherever our separate paths take us, and just perform. Of course it takes weeks of practice, but it’s fun...infuriating, but also fun, to spend time together, regroup so to speak. So you’ll be there? It’s just the other three wouldn't give you the invite - they all want you there, but their chosen methods of inviting you would make you quite grumpy, and no ones allowed to be grumpy at the circus!”

He watched her in confusion, taking in her words - wary about being led into a situation with four Master’s personally inviting him.

“Oh, did I mess up the coordinates? That's not like me. Do you have any idea what i’m talking about?” Missy asked.

“Yes, yes I do, I just didn't expect to see you again seconds after you left. Is this an elaborate trap?”

“No, just a show,” she said.

“An evil scheme to murder the audience?”

“No, the audience can’t rave about us if they’re dead.”

“Are you going to kill me in the name of art?” the Doctor asked.

“No!” Missy said, laughing. “Doctor, this is our downtime from whatever plans, experiments, research etc, we are each working on. We’ve lived and worked together for weeks to prepare and it simply won’t be the same if you don’t come. One of us wanted to leave a trail of shrunken dead people to lead you there, and another wanted to just kidnap you, but I thought a civilised invitation might be better. Anyway Doctor, we have some final touches to prepare, so I must leave. Say you’ll be there?”

He contemplated her for a moment and then smiled, “I’ll be there - just assure me no one will die, including you.”

“Of course not! We are professionals Doctor!”

He smiled as he watched her turn and walk away, breaking into a skip as she headed back towards a tree. She pointed her umbrella at the tree and a door opened, and in moments she was inside, her TARDIS dematerialising. 

 

* * *

The Doctor sat in his assigned seat - fighting the urge to switch seats in case they had anything planned for him, but relaxed as the lights dimmed. He was greeted with lively music, but the slightest touch of something eerie was underpinning it. It definitely felt creepy despite it’s upbeat tone. 

The Ringmaster entered the stage, his eye settling for the briefest moment on the Doctor as he scanned the crowd, acknowledging his presence. 

“Ladies and gentlemen - prepare, to be amazed, enthralled, but mostly….deeply afraid!” he raised his cane into the air and the air was filled with explosions and colourful bursts of smoke - a very localised firework display of sorts. 

The Doctor looked up, and shook his head at the sight of Kos and Sax positioned on pillars at least 30 feet off the ground - they clearly had broken their rule about aerial acts. 

The Ringmaster moved to the front of the ring and turned, pointing his cane to the air to direct the audience. They all looked up to see Missy floating down through the air, her wrists manacled together. He loved the fact that he didn't quite know how she was doing it, and made a mental note to ask her not to tell him, the mystery was a novel feeling for him. The audience gasped as she suddenly moved faster, landing gracefully in the centre of the crowd. 

People cowered back in fright as the Ringmaster announced that she was possessed and her mortal body must be exorcised. Kos and Sax then jumped in perfect synchronisation, the audience gasping in shock as they plummeted fast, coming to an abrupt stop inches from the ground.

The Doctor noticed tubs of popcorn and candy floss that had been placed in front of him, and smiled.  His friend merely having fun, working at perfecting something scary, but not evil or harmful - it was novel. He felt honoured to be there to watch them perform. They would return to their respective timelines, continue in various schemes ranging from dubious to downright evil, but for that night, they were illusionists and actors, and their packed audience were enthralled.

He grabbed the popcorn and sat back to enjoy the show. 

 


End file.
